NJ Highway Deaths Up, Speeding To Blame!

[TurboDan]

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A.../NEWS/604050467

FATALITIES ON HIGHWAYS RISE IN N.J.

Speeding, reckless driving cited
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 04/5/06
BY LARRY HIGGS
STAFF WRITER

Roads, highways and sidewalks in the state got a little deadlier in 2005, with 758 people killed in accidents compared with 723 in 2004. The death toll rose in Monmouth County and fell in Ocean.

A transportation advocates group blamed more than 60 percent of traffic fatalities on speeding and reckless driving, and called on Gov. Corzine for a zero-tolerance policy against drivers who break traffic laws.

The statewide death toll is the highest since 771 people died in 2002.

"The focus is on the administration to take the lead and set the tone that we'll be a state that doesn't tolerate reckless driving," said Damien Newton, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign's New Jersey coordinator.

Of the state's 21 counties, Monmouth had an increase in traffic deaths, from 47 in 2004 to 71 in 2005, and Ocean a decline, from 66 in 2004 to 38 in 2005. Pedestrian fatalities totaled 156 statewide, an increase from 150 the year before. Pedestrian deaths in Monmouth County rose from 11 in 2004 to 12 in 2005, and fell in Ocean from 7 in 2004 to 3 in 2005.

Bob Ciolino, 69, of the Manahawkin section of Stafford said he's seen a "total disregard" for speed limits, making driving dangerous, especially on the Garden State Parkway.

Ciolino added he doesn't count himself among the offenders.

"I do 67, or 68, but I don't do 78 or 79 (mph)," he said. "Some people just go as fast as they feel like. Why do the state troopers let people go 80 (mph) on the Parkway at all?"

Ken Moore, 55, of Point Pleasant Beach said he was surprised to hear that Ocean County had a lower rate of fatal crashes.

A service technician, Moore said he's constantly on the road and sees drivers weave in and out of lanes, speed and make illegal right turns on red.

"The problem is that in this part of the country, everybody is in such a hurry," he said. "People just cut in front of you all the time ? they don't care."

Less traffic, more speed

Tri-State determined that mostly rural and suburban counties had the highest rates of fatal accidents caused by reckless driving and speeding in the years 1999 through 2004. Sussex's rate was worst, followed by Warren, Passaic and Monmouth.

The group hasn't determined why speeding and reckless driving seem more prevalent in suburban counties than in urban areas.

"We've been trying to figure that out," he said. "In rural areas, people are more spread out and less patrolmen are covering total areas of road. We don't have a reason for the suburban areas."

The call for a zero-tolerance policy against drivers breaking traffic laws brought mixed responses from drivers and experts.

Enforcement is the key to traffic safety, said Anthony Parenti, former president of the New Jersey Traffic Safety Officers Association, but zero tolerance would only tie the hands of police.

"Zero tolerance means police don't have discretion to handle each violation in a way to make them a safe driver, they have to write a ticket," Parenti said. "Sometimes you have a good motorist who went off course, and a warning is better than a summons."

National Motorists Association state coordinator Steve Carrellas agreed, and said police officers should be allowed to make that judgment call.

"Based on what they observe, they'll go after the riskiest behavior," Carrellas said. "Cops are busy enough."

A zero-tolerance policy is a touchy subject, said Robert Zolt, 32, of Belmar. He agreed that repeat offenders should receive tickets, but said motorists who get pulled over for speeding because they're late for an appointment should get a break.

"Each person is in a different situation," Zolt said. "It should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis."

Sees a flawed system

New Jersey doesn't have a single agency responsible for traffic safety, said William Margretta, New Jersey State Safety Council executive director. He cited problems with the motor vehicle point system, and lack of a standard driver's education curriculum, as factors contributing to accidents.

"I call the 758 (fatalities) the invisible dead. What do we need to do to bring it to people's consciousness?" he said. "Summing up the state of traffic safety, it's so many other people's problem ? the state, the county ? it's a concerted effort to get anything accomplished."

Frustration with congestion can prompt drivers to take risks, such as turning left through small gaps in traffic or speeding, he said. Harried drivers use speed as a way to make up for lost time, even though the time gained is small and the risk high, Margretta said.

Covering 10 miles at 80 mph instead of the legal limit of 55 mph will only save 4.5 minutes, but that increases the risk of death more than six times, he said.

"We have a highly congested state and people take unnecessary risks because of congestion," Margretta said. "People believe because you surround yourself with a huge SUV and are belted in, you'll walk away from any crash."

Carrellas said he believes Tri-State is inflating the extent of the problem, based on his analysis of 25 years of data.

"It hasn't changed that much. You can look county by county and see the statistical variation, one has a downward trend and one has an upward trend, that tells me it's random," Carrellas said.

He said Tri-State is playing politics with Corzine for a remark he made on radio station NJ 101.5 FM in March in response to a caller's question about speed traps, implying those designed to raise revenue aren't right.

"It's a great sound bite. They're impatient with the Corzine administration," Carrellas said. "They're taking the numbers and making it look like there is a problem, when there is no problem."

Safety a Corzine priority

Anthony Coley, Corzine's spokesman, defended his focus on highway safety, citing $400 million in safety projects made through the Transportation Trust Fund and the DOT's "Safety First" initiatives.

Safety First Initiatives include programs to prevent median crossover crashes, improve sidewalks and street crossings to make it safer for students to walk to school, adopt technology to improve emergency response time to crashes and increase penalties for commercial vehicle violations, Coley said.

"To say that Gov. Corzine is not focused on traffic safety is simply inaccurate and disingenuous," Coley said .

Newton said that Tri-State recognizes the DOT's work, but said more effort is needed on the enforcement end.

Staff writer Alison Herget and Gannett State Bureau writer Lauren O. Kidd contributed to this story.

[dazzleman]

I don't believe that speeding, within certain parameters, is a major cause of highway accidents.

Extreme speeding can be extremely dangerous, but I don't think that going somewhat above the speed limit under the right conditions is particularly dangerous.  Of course, the safety nazis could always make the argument that slower is safe, right down to a speed of zero.  If you listened to some of these people, you'd never leave your house in the morning.

In my observation, left lane blockers cause far more dangerous road conditions than the guy doing 80 mph on a dry road without an undue amount of traffic.  The left lane blockers f'k up the flow of traffic, and cause cars to jockey around the lanes for a good ways behind them in an attempt to get around them.

This will be used of course as justification for a 'crackdown' on speeding.  But it won't work.  Laws can't be effective when a vast majority of people choose to disregard them, and that's the way it is with speeding.  There can never be enough police to ticket 75% of the drivers on the road, and even if they could, the penalty for speeding -- a fairly nominal fine -- isn't effective as a deterrent against repetition of the violation.

[omicron]

If I had to drive around all day at 55 miles an hour on decent highways and freeways, I'd get frustrated too.  

[TurboDan]

UPDATE:

I drove in this area, on this roadway yesterday.  There were 4 marked cars hiding in 4 different places within about 15 miles.  Obviously, they're stepping up enforcement for a couple weeks after the article.  

It's a shame that while they're hiding behind a bush looking for someone to go above a number on an LED display, there are a bunch of people tailgating, changing lanes improperly, not staying right, swaying in between two lanes etc.    

[dazzleman]

UPDATE:

I drove in this area, on this roadway yesterday.  There were 4 marked cars hiding in 4 different places within about 15 miles.  Obviously, they're stepping up enforcement for a couple weeks after the article.  

It's a shame that while they're hiding behind a bush looking for someone to go above a number on an LED display, there are a bunch of people tailgating, changing lanes improperly, not staying right, swaying in between two lanes etc.  

Dan, I agree with you 100%.

Going after speeders is plucking the low-hanging fruit.  Speeding takes place continuously over a period of time, which makes it an easier violation to catch.

Other violations would require an officer to be there at just the right time to catch it.

I don't really blame the police; there's little else they can do with the level of resources that they have.

But the situation doesn't make for the best traffic enforcement philosophy.

[Raza]

It went up 25 people!  That's nothing!  More people were killed falling down the stairs, probably.  
I'm with you on this one too, Dan.

[TurboDan]

ANOTHER UPDATE:

Now I'm glad there were alot of cops in the area.  I had a tire blow out last night and an NJSP officer was there within like 5 minutes and set up a couple flares for me.    

[L. ed foote]

I blew through NJ yesterday, to & from Blackwood, NJ.

Saw a few staties, almost nailed by one.  I panicked, dropped the hammer, and pulled off at the next exit.  Took the outerbridge to the verrazano, and didn't even get a chance to fill up on cheap gas    

[Raza]

ANOTHER UPDATE:

Now I'm glad there were alot of cops in the area.  I had a tire blow out last night and an NJSP officer was there within like 5 minutes and set up a couple flares for me.  

I'm surprised he didn't ticket you for some reason.

[TurboDan]

ANOTHER UPDATE:

Now I'm glad there were alot of cops in the area.  I had a tire blow out last night and an NJSP officer was there within like 5 minutes and set up a couple flares for me.   

I'm surprised he didn't ticket you for some reason.

I should've ticketed him.  Damn uneven pavement ripped my tire apart during a lane change.     No construction warnings or anything.  

[dazzleman]

ANOTHER UPDATE:

Now I'm glad there were alot of cops in the area.? I had a tire blow out last night and an NJSP officer was there within like 5 minutes and set up a couple flares for me.? 

I'm surprised he didn't ticket you for some reason.

I should've ticketed him.  Damn uneven pavement ripped my tire apart during a lane change.     No construction warnings or anything.

That sucks, man.  I went through a period where I kept getting flat tires and blowouts constantly.  Part of it was that there was construction at my house, and I ran over a few nails in my driveway that I didn't see.

But other times, it was just plain bad luck out on the road.  In a 1-year period, I got more flat tires/blowouts than I did in the previous 15 years.  It was unbelievable.

It must have been nice to be on the benevolent end of the staties, rather than the penalty end of things, as we all usually are.

[J86]

I just got my dount off today.  Some silly fuck decided it'd be funny to remove ONE of my tire valve cap thingies and twist the valve to release all the air outta my tires.  Been to goddamn busy to take care of it for the past week- JUSt bought new caps and filled the tire today.

Oh- I got some hilarious caps!  I had to get something to match the wheels....  Chrome bullets! :D

I am getting way too much of a kick out of this car...

[dazzleman]

I am getting way too much of a kick out of this car...

...knowing you, that probably means serious trouble is just around the corner...

As I said before, I wish we were the same age.  We'd have a great time hanging out and getting into trouble together...  

[J86]

Hehe, most likely.  Hey, you can be young at heart, right?

Guess I'll hafta pull enough shit for the both of us...

[dazzleman]

Hehe, most likely.  Hey, you can be young at heart, right?

Guess I'll hafta pull enough shit for the both of us...

..I have full faith that you'll have no trouble doing that, man....

BTW, how are you transporting your beer these days, since your last (I think) run-in with the law?

I love how you went out the same night as your court appearance and got totally plastered.  Gotta admire that, man.  That's exactly what most guys I know would have done.

[J86]

um, last weekend that I was on campus (its been awhile it feels like...season is busy!) i was walking down the street between frats when i realized that violating open container laws probably was not prudent due to my current situation...

[dazzleman]

um, last weekend that I was on campus (its been awhile it feels like...season is busy!) i was walking down the street between frats when i realized that violating open container laws probably was not prudent due to my current situation...

Are you on some type of probation, Josh, or in an ACD (adjourment in contemplation of dismissal) situation?  I can't remember the details of your case.  You get in so much trouble; I can't be expected to remember each circumstance....

BTW, you must have been a real trip when you were in prep school.  I bet the school's headmaster really misses you....  

[J86]

I dont know what its called.  If I dont get arrested for a year, its like I never got arrested the fist time either.  If i Do get busted, then they fine me twice.  Kinda double or nothing, I like it...

I was pretty under the radar in high school...I was a day student, so not much the admin could do to me.  The poor boarders were the ones who got the shaft...  we definitely got our shots in though, I will say that.

[dazzleman]

I dont know what its called.  If I dont get arrested for a year, its like I never got arrested the fist time either.  If i Do get busted, then they fine me twice.  Kinda double or nothing, I like it...

I was pretty under the radar in high school...I was a day student, so not much the admin could do to me.  The poor boarders were the ones who got the shaft...  we definitely got our shots in though, I will say that.

Then you do have an ACD situation, though it may not be called that in your state.  It's not the fine that matters; it's just better to keep that type of crap off your record for when you need to go get a job, and they do a background check.  Not that most employers would really care about something so trivial, but it still can't help overall to have that on your record.

I guess the school had more control over the lives of the borders, and could think of more ingenious ways to torture them.  Still, I went to a prep school that was all day students, and they came up with some good ways to torture us when they didn't like the way we were behaving...  

[TBR]

Politicians

Speeding isn't dangerous (what makes 75 so much more dangerous than 65? Nothing if you adjust your driving style approriately), but driving recklessly is. And, I still contend that driving under the speed limit is far more dangerous than driving over it.  

[J86]

I dont know what its called.  If I dont get arrested for a year, its like I never got arrested the fist time either.  If i Do get busted, then they fine me twice.  Kinda double or nothing, I like it...

I was pretty under the radar in high school...I was a day student, so not much the admin could do to me.  The poor boarders were the ones who got the shaft...  we definitely got our shots in though, I will say that.

Then you do have an ACD situation, though it may not be called that in your state.  It's not the fine that matters; it's just better to keep that type of crap off your record for when you need to go get a job, and they do a background check.  Not that most employers would really care about something so trivial, but it still can't help overall to have that on your record.

I guess the school had more control over the lives of the borders, and could think of more ingenious ways to torture them.  Still, I went to a prep school that was all day students, and they came up with some good ways to torture us when they didn't like the way we were behaving...

I want very selective law school, so keeping the record clean is kind of an important priority...

Funny how the admins are so good at that torture thing, huh?  Practice makes perfect...

[dazzleman]

I want very selective law school, so keeping the record clean is kind of an important priority...

Funny how the admins are so good at that torture thing, huh?  Practice makes perfect...

Hah, most students are pretty good at the torture thing, too.  In fact, the students usually get the better of the teachers and the administration over the long haul.  When I think of what we did to some of the teachers, and got away with.....

Some teachers managed to get even, though.  I had an American History teacher that we gave a hard time to during the first half of the year, fooling around, asking him stupid questions, etc.  Once he'd had enough, I got a bunch of detentions, consisting of punish assignments, work details, etc., courtesy of that guy.

Definitely, keep the record clean for law school admission...it can't hurt...  

[L. ed foote]

They're definately out there, saw no less than 10 on I-80 on my way to Binghamton yesterday...

[TurboDan]

I want very selective law school, so keeping the record clean is kind of an important priority...

Thinking of Miami or Tulane for admiralty?  They're both the best, from what I hear.